Lily's Promise
by Nolesr1
Summary: A mother's promise to her new-born child.


12 hours in labor, a war raging outside her home and all Lily Potter could truly focus on was the small bundle at her side. Reaching over, she carefully scooped the child into her arms and began rocking him like the nurse had shown her. Moonlight filtering into the room and the calming sound of faint snoring reminding her that her husband was on the other side of the closed door, quite obviously just as exhausted as Lily felt. She was surprised, strangely enough, on just how. Surely, with everything going on in her world-people vanishing every day, whole muggle families killed with no explanation as to how they died- she shouldn't be able to feel this calm. And yet… here she was, feeling like the world was at peace and everything was as it should be. Odd, but somehow… right. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Lily felt an overwhelming amount of guilt. Surely it wasn't right for her to feel like this, especially with the knowledge of knowing that any moment someone she loved-an old friend, an old flame, a close peer from school- might vanish into nothing or, God forbid, wind up dead. Her mother had once told her that the most important moment for a child and its mother was this moment right here- with no one in the room save for the child and mother, there was no noise or interfering nurses; just now when the two could finally be completely and utterly alone. Smiling faintly to herself, she bent down and kissed the tip of his nose, the smooth surface of his forehead, the closed, pale lids of his eyes, feeling as though the world could end right now and she would never notice.

"_Harry James Potter_," she whispered to herself, more of a chant than anything else. "My little Harry," she cooed, feeling a lump rise in her throat and her eyes burn. Her parents should be here, celebrating the birth of their new grandson. Her sister-her dear Tuney-and her husband should be here, and-maybe not celebrating-but at least acknowledging the birth of their new nephew. But they weren't and, save for a few nurses, not one of their friends had come. Times were hard, she knew, and she didn't begrudge them for the decision not to come. Times were tough, she repeated to herself, feeling an errant tear fall from her eyes. They were at war; an awful time-if there was such a thing- to have a child. "I'm so sorry," she whispered to her sleeping son, watching as he began stuffing his little fingers into his mouth, still fast asleep and unaware of the turmoil unleashing itself into the world around him. She did not regret having him, merely the time which she had him. After all, a battle field was no place to raise a child, war memorials were no place for a child to play. "I solemnly swear to you, "She whispered against his forehead, feeling his soft, warm breath against her skin. "I will do everything in my power to protect you in any way possible. You will not know the pains of war nor the casualties. You will grow up in a world where war is nothing but a nightmare from long ago," once again, she found herself leaning forward and brushing a faint kiss across the tip of his small nose. _You're so little, _she thought faintly, wishing, more than anything in that second, that her father could see his namesake or that her mother could see this innocent, _perfect_ life that had been brought into the world. "Know this," she whispered to the child, repeating the words that her mother had once spoken to her so many years ago, "You will never know the meaning of want, nor the feel the hand of abuse. You are my child and," she brushed another kiss across his forehead, "And there is no boundary, nothing in this world or the next that will stop me from loving you. I will always protect you," she whispered into the night, feeling silent tears trace their way down her cheeks. She probably wasn't the prettiest sight in the world right now-face painted with fatigue, hair in a messy braid- but in that second she never felt more alive, more perfect.

"My baby," she cooed against his cheek, "My beautiful baby boy." As though sensing his mother's probing glance, the child opened his eyes revealing striking, dark green irises. Green met green and Lily found herself repeating her vow while her child's eyes were on her, "I solemnly swear that I will protect you in any and every way I can. I solemnly swear to protect you with my life." The child closed his eyes, feeling secure in the embrace of the soft-spoken woman. That entire night, Lily watched her child sleep well into the early hours of the morning, watching as the rays of a new day washed into the room illuminating the soft blue walls. Before the room was filled with bustling nurses and the curious gaze and proud gaze of his visitors and Father, she leaned forward and whispered against her child's forehead:

"I solemnly swear to love you with my very dying breath and beyond."


End file.
